Sunway Holidays has cancelled all weekly connections from the Mayo and Clare airports to Lanzarote until November 1, due to a sudden decision by a Spanish airline not to charter the flights.

The company was told last week that Calima Air would not operate the service due to a dispute with the Spanish government. A spokesperson for Sunway Holidays said that all passengers booked to go out from Knock and Shannon from Saturday have been affected.

Alternative

A final Sunway flight touched down in Knock Airport on Saturday with passengers from the Spanish island – but it returned without anyone on board.

It is now offering disappointed customers three options – they can fly on available flights from either Dublin or Cork, they can choose an alternative location, or accept a full refund.

A spokesperson said the exact number of passengers affected was unknown as not all the seats had been sold for the season.

The company began contacting frustrated passengers last Thursday and is working with clients to re-arrange travel plans while apologising for the inconvenience caused.